Automobile oil filter



1941. J. D. wlcKs AUTOMOBILE OIL FILTER Oct, 28,

Filed July lO, 1939 Patented Oct. 28, 1941 poration ofl North Carolina. .1

8 Claims.VA (CL-2110+131) f initeldrawm'g The invention relates to fa lubricatinggoiltlter for automobile and' otherv internal vcombustier1 engines l 1v a An object of the presentdnvention is to ,provvide a lubricating oil lter designedto be-per- Ivmanently mounted on the oil filter .tube or. inlet .of an internal combustion engine and equipped Withya removable oil iiltering cartridge and having a passagey leading directly to the Vinternalv .combustion engine, so rthat fresh; oil may 'be .supplied to `the Oilsumpl of` an internal com-r bustion enginefwithout removing the filter from theoil ller tubeor-inletjandlwithout vfiltering .thefresh oil. .fn j A Y I y Heretoforeoil filters have been applied `to v'the ,filler tube of'v the internal combustion engine -of .an4 automobile, but it has been necessary when fresh.' oil iste be supplied tothe engine to re*- rmovethe filter from theI ller .tubeof the engine Ain order to expose` the fillerjtube for supplying the fresh oil. 'Ihe present invention enables the oil filter to lbe 'mounted Ipermanently oni-the ,llerg tube or oil inlet of an engine and obviates the 4necessityv of detach'ingvthe lter .eachjtime fresh oilis supplied to the engine.l f

Another object -of the invention is tojprovide 'a.,-1ubrieaung -oil alter :having a fresia Unimet yadapted to receive the air ltering breather'cap suppliedon the engine as standard factory equip- -ment byA original manuacturergjf so that .-the ,1.

-filter Will not interfere with thejusual function- `ing' of oili-systerns` having such Vbreather apsI and ,-,Willenable such breather caps to beremoved and replaced in Vtheusual manner .fwhen it'becomes necessary or desirable to supply an engine j With` fresh oil., Y f K.

It is also an object of the inventionl to provide an oil lter equipped at the bottom withyagre- -movablei sump-forming member adapted to sup4- port the cartridge in. an elevatedposition above athebottom-of the 'casing'and arranged to receive sedimentvand other accumulation and capable, when acartridge i's.removed,;of.'being readily removed and emptiedof such sediment.'

Withvtlese andi other objects in view,fthef'in '5 vention consists in '-the construction and novel combination and arrangement of 'parts lhereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accom- ;panying drawing and pointeddout,inl the `claims hereto appended, it being understood that v'arous changes in the form, proportions and minor details of construction may beresorted. to.` withoutvdepa'r-ting from the spirit orv sacricingany .Ofjih advantages 0f the 'ini/.eeuw

Figure .1T/is af side j elevation v of .anl automobile oil lterconstrufctdin aCGQTdance HWith thisjngautomobile"exigirle,l Y.

1iig1'1`re'2i`sA "af'veiftical,sectional view taken. on

the lineZ--Zlo'flfligue'l.

Figure 3Y isahof jizontal sectional Viewtakenon Figure 4vis an er'ilaged"` detail sectionalview of a .portion offtlie oiliiiltering cartridge illusltratingfthe".means for, se ring' the outerfabric covering totheinner'prforated tube.

Figure 5jis,,adetail.perspective View of,y the removable sediment receiving member which supports the giliiltering.cartridgeandforms a sump atthe bottomof theiilter- In the accompanying' drawing in which is illusnfated, the preferred embodiment' of vthe invention, the I lubricating oilj'lter which is designed .'tob permanentlyjmountedj on the engine l ofan :automobile or r,o'thenrnotorfvfehicle may, of course, be advantageously employed onany internal com bustion.-y engine. ,'Ilie"engine Iis. providedV With anr upwardly-extendinglle'r tube f2' and .the air filtering breather cap 7which is ordinarily mount- .ed on the uppereend of the ller tube `2A is removed ytherefrom and, as'hereinafter fully-,ex-

plained, is'applied `totlie oilffilter of the present invention, which is adapted to be readily installed on various types lofiinternal combustion engines .and to befu's'edin connection 'with the lubricat- .ing system of .various automobiles Without interlfering Withv-thejnormal accustomed operation of ,The: oilv filter comprises in its construction a 4suitable.containeror. casing 4,consisting of a shell o'f suitable material. and preferably comprising `an .openetop--"cylindricalbody. 4A and a cover 5 .which ispreferablydn the form of a cap, a gasket connectionfwhen the cover or cap 5.of thebody '.is secured in place as hereinafter fully explained.

The, body-of the casing is .provided at the bottomfwitl'l Vav centrakoutlet opening, Afrom, which `:dependsa short ltube .8 which vis preferably iitted @inside theupper .portion 'of the 'filler tube 2. Aroundthe outside of .the filler tube'v 2 is fitted a ,clamp y9, which' iscempolsed o f vtwo approxilower ends of vertical rods I5 to the arms |3 of the clamp. The upper ends I5 of the rods |5 are threaded and extend through Vopenings I I Aofear-s f I8 of the cap 5 which forms the top of the filter casing. The upper threaded ends I6 of the rods I5 are equipped with thumb nuts I9 which enable the cap 5 to be drawn tightly into engagement with the gasket 6, whereby the top 5 of the casing is rmly secured to the `body 4 thereof andan air-tight and an oil-tight `joint or connection maintained between the l said parts.` l

The rods I5 and the nuts I9 provide a detachable connection for the cap kor cover of the casing and enable the cap or cover to be readily ldetached for enabling an oil ltering cartridge 25 to be readily removed and nreplaced by a new cartridge when the same becomes necessary or desirable. Any other suitable means may, however, be employed for detachably securingthe top or cover of the casing to the body thereof. The body 4 of the casing is provided with a central vertical tube 2| exten-ding upwardly from the bottom opening ,and preferably forming a continuation of the short depending tube 4Il andprovided with openings 22 for the passage of filtered oil to permit such oil after passing through the cartridge or filtering unit to Ureturn to the oil sump (not shown) of the internal combustion engine I. The central vertical tube 2| extends to the top of the casing and it forms a passage to permit fresh `oil to be delivered directly to the engine without being filtered when the breathe.r

cap 3 is removed from the top of the filter.

The cap 5 ofthe casingy is provided with a central inlet opening and it has a short depending tubular portion 23 extending downwardly from the opening and receiving the lower tubular portion 38 of the adaptor 39 having an upper tubular portion 40 of a. diameter to receive snugly the tubular member 2,4 Vof the airv filtering breather cap supplied on the engine as standard factory equipment by the original manufacturer, so that when the oil filter vof the present invention is applied to the filler tube of an automobile, the breather cap which is removed from the filler tube 2 may be placed on top of the filter; which will not interfere with the functioning ofthe air filtering breather cap and which will permit fresh oil to be supplied directly to the engine by simply removing the air filtering breather cap and without filtering the fresh oil. The upper tubular portion 4|) of the adaptor 39 isconnected by a horizontal annular web portion 4I with the lower tubular portion 38. The intermediate connecting portion or web 4I is seated upon the exterior of the top 5 of the filter casing and the upper tubular portion may be made of any diameter, and adaptors 39 may in this respect differ in many installations, so that the filler Pipe breather cap originally supplied with an engine ean be firmly attached to the lter, thus requiring'no change in the breather system efficiency from carnmanufacturers specifications.. 1'

The casing 4 is provided at one side with a nipple 25 and is connected by a coupling 26 with the upper end of a tube 21, which supplies oil under pressure to the filter. The lower end of the tube 2'I is connected by a coupling 28 with a part-of the oil pressure line of the engine or mechanism and the oil pressure in the system is sufficient to force the oil up through the tube 2'I and through the filtering unit or cartridge.

The filtering unit or cartridge comprises a central tube 29 provided at intervals with perforations 30 and having filtering material 3| retained on it by an outer covering 32 preferably consisting o f loosely 'woven fabric. The filtering medium maybe of any preferred material and the outer covering 32, which may also be made of any suitable material, is preferably in tubular form and extends over the top and down the 1 sides and under the bottom of the filtering medium. Each end of the tubular outer covering is clamped to one edge of the perforated tube 29 by means of a resilient ring 33 composed of two sides and a connecting portion and embracing the contiguous edge of the tube 29 and the marginal portion vof the covering 32 of the filtering cartridge. The tube 29 of the filtering cartridge is of a diameter to fit loosely over the vertical tube 2|, an-d the filtered oil, after being subjected to the action of the filtering medium, passes through the perforations 30 of the tube 29 and the openings 22 of the tube 2| and returns to the engine through the passage afforded by the filler tube.

The filtering medium is arranged to form a depth filter in contradistinction to a surface filtei' and the cartridge or unit is Vpreferably supported in a slightly elevated position above the bottom of the casing by a sump-forming element 34 preferably consisting of a horizontal disk-shaped bottom 35 and inner and outer annular walls 36 and 3'I. The bottom 35 is provided with a central opening through which the Vertical tube 2| passes, and the inner annular wall 36 extends upwardly from the central opening'in the bottom 35 and is removably fitted on the upstanding tube 2| and receives and supportsrthe cartridge or filtering unit. The perforated tube 29 of the filtering unit is preferably located substantially directly above the inner wall 36 of the sump-forming member 34 and the outer wall 31 of said lmember 34 preferably fits snugly within the cylindrical body portion 4 of the filter casing, so that sediment collected on the exterior of the cartridge may not pass vbetween the wall 3'I and the body of the filter casing and thereby pass back into the oil sump of the engine, but will be collected in the sump formed by the member 34 and settle therein.

' The detachable sump member 34 will enable sediment to be readily removed from the filter casing. While a central vertical upstanding tube 2| is illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, such tube may, if desired, be omitted, as the central perforated tube of the cartridge or filtering unit `will form a central passage for enabling fresh oil Without filtering to pass directly to the engine when it is desired to supply the same with such oil. Also the sump-forming member 34 which supports the cartridge or filtering unit in a slightly elevated position above the bottom of the filter casing may beof any other preferred form.

What is claimed is:

1. A filter of the class described comprising a casing having a side wall and provided at its top With a fresh oil inlet and having an outlet at its bottom, said casing being provided at the bottom thereof with a depending tube adapted to be mounted in the filler tube of an engine, said casing being also provided with a vertical tube extending upwardly from the bottom opening to a point adjacent the top of the casing in alignment with the fresh oil inlet and having openings extending through the Wall thereof, means for clamping the casing of the filter to the filler tube of an engine, a filter unit disposed within the casing and surrounding said vertical tube, said unit being spaced from the side wall of the casing, a conduit communicating with the space existing between the unit and said side wall for introducing oil under pressure into the casing for filtering the same radially inwardly through said unit.

2. A filter of the class described, including a casing having side walls and provided at its top with a fresh oil inlet and having an oil outlet at the bottom, said casing being provided at the bottom with a depending tube registering with the outlet and adapted to be mounted in the filler tube of an engine, said casing being also provided with a perforate vertical tube extending upwardly from the bottom opening a point adjacent the top of the casing, means for attaching the casing of the filter on the filler tube of an engine, a filter unit arranged within the casing and surrounding the said vertical tube, said unit being spaced from the side walls of the casing, a conduit communicating with the space existing between the unit and said side Walls for introducing oil under pressure into the casing for filtering the same radially inwardly through said unit, and a sump forming member arranged within the casing around the upwardly extending tube and supporting the filtering unit and having a trough located beneath the filtering unit and constituting a sediment sump.

3. A filter of the class described, including a casing comprising a body portion having a bottom outlet and a cap fitted on the casing and provided at the top with a fresh oil inlet for the casing, a filtering unit arranged within the casing, a conduit communicating with the interior of the casing exteriorly of the filtering unit for introducing oil under pressure into the casing for ltering the same through the unit, said casing being also provided with a passage extending from the oil inlet to the bottom outlet to enable fresh oil to be supplied to an engine without ltering and without removing the lter from the filler tube or an engine, a clamp adapted to be mounted on the filler tube of the engine, and adjustable means extending from the clamp and connected with the cap for securing the same on the body portion of the casing and at the same time securing both the cap and the body portion of the casing to the filler tube.

4. A filter of the class described, including a casing having a fresh oil inlet at the top thereof and provided at its bottom with an oil outlet, an oil filtering unit disposed within the casing and having a passageway for oil extending therethrough in registry with both the inlet and the outlet, there being an opening in thek side Wall of the casing for the introduction of oil undery pressure into the casing for filtering through said unit.

5. A filter of the class described, including a casing having a fresh oil inlet at the top thereof and provided at its bottom with an oil outlet, an oil filtering unit disposed within the casing and having a passageway for oil extending therethrough in registry with both the inlet and the outlet, said unit beingl spaced from the walls of the casing, there being an opening in the side wall of the casing for the introduction of oil under pressure into the space within the casing surrounding the filter unit.

6. In a filter of the class described, a casing having an open upper end, side walls and a bottom provided with an oil outlet, a `tube depending from the bottom in registry with the outlet and designed for insertion into the filler tube of an internal combustion engine, a filter unit disposed Within the casing and spaced from the side walls thereof, a cover for the casing having a filling opening therein and closing the upper open end of the casing, a clamp designed for attachment to said filler tube, tension means connecting the clamp and cover, said tension means vcomprising the sole means for retaining the cover on said casing, and a conduit communicating with the space existing between said unit and said side walls for introducing oil under pressure into the casing for filtering the same through said unit.

7. A filter of the class described, including a casing having side walls and a fresh oil inlet at the top thereof and provided at its bottom with an oil outlet, means forY connecting said oil outlet to the filling tube of an internal combustion engine, a perforate tube in registry with the oil outlet and extending upwardly therefrom to a point adjacent the top of the casing and in registry with the oil inlet, a filter unit `disposed Within the casing and surrounding the perforate tube and spaced from the walls of the latter and from the side Walls of the casing, a conduit communicating with the space existing between. the filter unit and said side walls for introducing oil under pressure into said casing for filtering the same radially inwardly through said unit.

8. A filter of the class described including a casing having side walls and having a fresh oil inlet at the top thereof and provided at its bottom with an oil outlet, an oil filtering unit disposed within the casing and having a passageway for oil extending therethrough in registry with both the inlet and the outlet, said unit beiner spaced from the side Walls of the casing, there being an opening in said casing communicating with the space existing between said unit and said side walls, and a conduit communicating with said opening for the introduction of oil under pressure into the casing for filtering the same radially inwardly through said unit.

JOHN D. WICKS. 

